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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: mate · bank · cold · cell · bulb · branch · land · arm

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bank — for money
  5. cell — in biology
  6. land — to come down
  7. bank — for money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — of a river
  20. land — ground
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in a prison

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