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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. branch — a division
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — final
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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