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: stem · kid · branch · lean · dip · deal · wound · sharp

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lean — thin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. deal — to handle

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