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: bore · branch · cap · stand · field · wind · lean · bat

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. branch — a division
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to drill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bat — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. cap — a hat

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