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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. spell — magic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. key — the most important part
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. land — to come down
  18. spell — letters
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — of a tree

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