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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pound — a weight
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — the season
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — a tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. craft — boats
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. date — the fruit
  24. branch — a division

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