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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cue — a signal
  6. capital — money
  7. branch — a division
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cue — for pool
  15. capital — a city
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fine — high quality

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