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 120 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: current · wound · bowl · hand · wind · squash · stand · branch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. current — electric
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — to bear
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — to turn a key

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