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 116 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. cell — in biology
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mug — to rob
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mug — a cup
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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