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: cold · pound · pit · branch · wake · arm · lean · shower

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cold — an illness
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lean — thin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pound — to hit hard

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