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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — a line
  9. bank — for money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — of water
  15. row — to paddle
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. lean — thin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. squash — the vegetable

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