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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — final
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — for sport
  9. row — a line
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — in cards
  24. row — a quarrel

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