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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — a division
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a match
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — to point toward
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fall — the season

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