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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: rule · board · clip · row · cell · branch · wax · bulb

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — a division
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rule — a law
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. board — to get on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a line
  19. rule — government
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. board — a committee
  24. rule — to rule out

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