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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fine — all right
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spring — the season
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — moving air
  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