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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. charge — in control
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — a city
  20. branch — a division
  21. charge — a price
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — to dunk

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