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: cold · lash · field · net · branch · bulb · kid · lean

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. field — for sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — after costs
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lean — thin
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — in sport

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