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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — certain
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. capital — money
  14. plane — a tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — child
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bound — tied together

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