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: tear · row · present · chest · bay · squash · branch · fan

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — a gift
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — there
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — the time now
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — a division
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tear — from crying
  24. squash — the vegetable

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