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: field · board · hand · straw · branch · wave · saw · race

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. branch — a division
  17. board — to get on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. field — a subject

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