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: cold · date · bore · fall · lash · branch · field · jam

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fall — the season
  12. field — a subject
  13. branch — a division
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  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