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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rash — hasty
  9. track — a song
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — a path
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — a division
  19. race — humankind
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — to paddle
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rash — on the skin

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