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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. board — to get on
  10. chest — a box
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to click
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. nail — for a hammer

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