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 · squash · dip · content · wave · degree · arm · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. dip — to sink
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. squash — the sport
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. content — the amount
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. degree — temperature
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. branch — a division
  22. squash — to crush
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wave — of the sea

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