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: cabinet · lash · ground · branch · mouse · cold · lean · net

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — for catching
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — after costs
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — to bend
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — in sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ground — a position
  24. cabinet — ministers

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