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: cabinet · stock · tube · mate · field · file · branch · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — a division
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — a container
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a document
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stock — goods
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a line of people

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