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: bass · tear · cell · mouse · sharp · hand · patient · branch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — help
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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