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: land · tube · branch · pound · swing · track · cold · hand

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hand — help
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tube — the underground
  14. track — a song
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — in a tire

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