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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — child
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. bank — for money
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — to push
  14. rule — government
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rule — a law
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — to tease
  20. press — newspapers
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — for money
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bank — of a river

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