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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. craft — boats
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — from a university
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — the fish
  15. degree — an amount
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wake — a trail
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — low music
  23. branch — of a bank
  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