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 116 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: patient · mine · mouse · wind · ground · key · field · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — crushed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — for digging
  23. field — farmland
  24. key — the most important part

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