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: mine · coach · rush · branch · patient · fine · safe · degree

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rush — hurry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fine — high quality
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. coach — a trainer

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