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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to click
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. branch — a division
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. land — ground
  19. face — to point toward
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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