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 · trunk · tear · swing · snap · march · club · squash

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. swing — to play on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. swing — music
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — in golf
  20. club — for golf
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. trunk — of a tree

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