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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a word
  3. net — after costs
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — goods
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — the animal

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