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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a song
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — to keep track

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