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: straw · patient · coach · bat · foot · prune · branch · staff

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. foot — a measure
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. branch — a division
  16. staff — a stick
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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