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 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.

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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — to push
  4. fork — in a road
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — a publisher
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — for catching
  14. squash — to crush
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — a division
  21. present — the time now
  22. spell — magic
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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