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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — to paddle
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. clip — a video
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ground — the earth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — farmland

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