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 · present · bowl · bulb · band · land · saw · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — the time now
  4. land — ground
  5. present — a gift
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. land — to come down
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bulb — for light
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — a country
  22. swing — in golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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