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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. land — a country
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — a trace
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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