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: patient · bat · branch · squash · cabinet · court · mouse · prune

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. squash — to crush
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. court — of a king
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — a division
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. branch — 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