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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. spell — magic
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. branch — a division
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bank — of a river
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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