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: branch · land · deal · lean · bark · tear · pop · plane

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — a division
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. deal — to handle
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. tear — to rip
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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