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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. root — the cause
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. land — to come down
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — a country
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a document
  19. land — ground
  20. deal — to handle
  21. file — a line of people
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bat — for baseball

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