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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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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: snap · branch · pass · bank · wax · cell · row · rash

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — hasty
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rash — a series
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — in biology
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — a division
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bank — of a river
  22. snap — to click
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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