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: shower · branch · clip · cabinet · pitcher · rush · cell · ball

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cell — in biology
  12. shower — to wash
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. clip — to cut
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a dance

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