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 is an ace ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bank — of a river
  8. march — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tear — to rip
  23. branch — a division
  24. cell — in biology

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