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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bat — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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