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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — the cause
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — certain
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. root — of a word
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — a container
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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