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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — an amount
  9. swing — music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — to come from
  19. degree — from a university
  20. capital — a city
  21. degree — temperature
  22. capital — money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — in golf

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