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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: pass · bore · date · lean · club · degree · arm · branch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lean — thin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. club — a group
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to bend
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bore — to drill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. date — the fruit
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — from a university

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