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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mine — for digging
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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