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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: cell · patient · can · pass · row · toast · arm · branch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. toast — bread
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cell — a phone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — a permit
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — to be able to
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. row — a line
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — to paddle
  24. can — a tin

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