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: chest · land · branch · net · stem · dip · fall · fine

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — a country
  9. chest — a box
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — of your body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — a division
  20. fine — all right
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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