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: court · bat · branch · rest · craft · face · land · stem

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. face — to confront
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rest — a break
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — a division
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — ground
  23. bat — the animal
  24. face — part of the head

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