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: row · swing · branch · cold · toast · bay · season · stem

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. toast — bread
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cold — not warm
  6. season — of the year
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — a division
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. swing — music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — in sport
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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