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 · spell · shower · file · snap · lean · mouse · arm

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. branch — a division
  10. file — a document
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — magic
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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