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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: lean · fan · pass · safe · row · band · degree · branch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. band — a ring
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. band — a music group
  11. degree — an amount
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — temperature
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — a line
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lean — thin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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