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: clip · plane · season · track · ball · bark · wave · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. track — a path
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — a division
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. clip — to cut
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. plane — a tool

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