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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — not warm
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tube — in a tire

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