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: spell · squash · dip · hand · branch · tube · kid · fall

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — letters
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — a division
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fall — the season
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — magic

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