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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: cabinet · cold · bear · bay · saw · chest · perch · cell

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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