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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. game — a match
  9. cap — a lid
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — to wash
  16. branch — a division
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cap — a hat

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