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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — to come from
  4. object — an aim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — a thing
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stem — a stem cell

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