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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — rain
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — the season
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — a lid
  20. spring — of water
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. branch — a division

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