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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — in sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — a series
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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