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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: wound · bore · band · branch · bank · row · fall · wax

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. branch — a division
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a music group
  13. fall — the season
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bank — for money
  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