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: branch · kid · spring · fine · pound · wake · pass · cell

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fine — all right
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spring — a coil
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spring — the season
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spring — of water
  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