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: stem · charge · branch · season · toast · wound · cold · court

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. season — of the year
  12. charge — in control
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — bread
  24. charge — a price

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