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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 120 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: branch · perch · cold · face · cell · bank · can · mouse

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cold — an illness
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bank — for money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — for money
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. branch — a division
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bank — of a river

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