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: spell · cell · fall · spring · branch · arm · bank · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bank — for money
  4. press — to push
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — magic
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cell — in biology
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bank — of a river
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cell — a phone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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