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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: row · net · scale · wax · branch · fine · hand · degree

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — in sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — in cards
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — help
  19. degree — from a university
  20. scale — in music
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fine — a penalty

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