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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — of a word
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — rain
  18. press — newspapers
  19. branch — a division
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. root — the cause
  23. land — a country
  24. root — of a plant

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