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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: lean · cold · cell · can · chest · branch · stick · track

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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. can — a tin
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lean — to bend
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chest — a box
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. branch — a division
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — to keep track

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