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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 116 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: bound · wax · branch · pass · row · present · pitcher · wound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. present — the time now
  8. bound — tied together
  9. row — to paddle
  10. present — there
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. row — a line
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — of a bank

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