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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fall — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — a division
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cold — not warm
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — to drop
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — the Cold War

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