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: fan · saw · branch · straw · shower · mate · land · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. branch — a division
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. shower — rain
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. land — ground
  14. mug — to rob
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. land — to come down
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mug — a face
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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