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 · date · capital · rush · wake · saw · march · stock

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — shares
  9. branch — a division
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. capital — a city
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. march — music
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. capital — money

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