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: mine · cabinet · hand · mouse · sharp · branch · squash · spring

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. squash — the sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. branch — a division
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. sharp — clever

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