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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mate — to breed

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