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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rock — music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — to bear
  21. file — a document
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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