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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. root — of a word
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — to push
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. board — to get on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — a video
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — the cause
  24. press — newspapers

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