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

Word bank: wound · branch · bear · field · patient · shower · bass · charge

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — a price
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — in control
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. shower — rain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — low music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — electricity
  24. patient — a sick person

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