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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. board — a committee
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — a line
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — shares
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — a division
  23. board — to get on
  24. can — a tin

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