ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. current — of water
  8. face — to point toward
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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