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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bound — certain
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bound — tied together

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