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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. current — electric
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bass — low music
  18. current — of water
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fall — the season

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