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 120 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: wound · chest · leaves · cap · bear · branch · squash · cue

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — a box
  13. branch — a division
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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