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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. tube — a container
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — from a university
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — an amount
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. degree — temperature

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