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: sharp · branch · press · band · lash · court · spell · tear

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. press — to push
  17. spell — a short time
  18. press — newspapers
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. press — a publisher
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a music group

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