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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · kick · capital · leaves · straw · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree

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