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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — a division
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — final
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — thin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lean — to bend
  24. degree — temperature

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