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: lean · rash · mark · prune · branch · patient · pitch · game

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a trace
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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