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 · wound · bear · last · mate · row · spring · key

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — the most important part
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — to go on
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spring — of water
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — final

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