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: game · scale · branch · field · spring · ruler · bank · hide

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bank — for money
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — a division
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — of a river
  12. scale — in music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. game — a match
  16. field — a subject
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — of water
  24. game — a kind of play

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