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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. content — the amount
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bat — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a great time
  13. field — for sport
  14. kid — to tease
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — happy
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — a division
  24. kid — child

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