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: wind · tear · mine · board · mate · date · branch · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. branch — a division
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — for digging
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. board — to get on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — of a tree

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