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: bank · chip · jam · land · face · branch · wound · track

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a song
  6. face — part of the head
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chip — for betting
  9. face — to point toward
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — a country
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — to keep track
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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