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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a tree

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