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: capital · content · staff · branch · fall · perch · leaves · hand

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. content — happy
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — the season
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. content — the amount
  18. staff — a stick
  19. perch — the fish
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — money
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. branch — a division

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