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 · court · march · patient · land · arm · fan · season

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — ground
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — a country
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — in sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. court — of a king
  24. branch — of a bank

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