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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. net — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — to push
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. capital — money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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