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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — a committee
  7. lean — thin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. object — to protest
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. object — an aim
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — to get on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — a thing
  24. board — a flat piece

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