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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · season · swing · spell · branch · chip · wax · degree

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. season — in sport
  9. swing — music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wax — to grow
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — a division
  21. swing — to play on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com