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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. root — of a word
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — the cause
  12. fine — all right
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — shares
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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