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 116 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rash — a series
  22. last — finally
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stem — a stem cell

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