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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — letters
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mate — to breed
  8. branch — a division
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cold — an illness
  12. craft — boats
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — to drill
  17. craft — a skill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cold — not warm

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