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 · patient · foot · branch · season · stand · perch · cell

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — a division
  12. season — in sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stand — to bear
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — a measure
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — a phone
  24. perch — the fish

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