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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. branch — a division
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. swing — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — of ice
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cap — a hat
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — in golf
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. field — a subject
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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