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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. shower — rain
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. root — of a word
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — the cause
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a dance

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