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: season · branch · deal · perch · land · cabinet · rest · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. season — in sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — of the year
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — ground
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rest — what's left
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rest — a break
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. clip — a video
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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