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: drill · spring · snap · branch · band · staff · press · season

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — to push
  4. staff — a stick
  5. press — a publisher
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to click
  9. staff — employees
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — a division
  21. press — newspapers
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — the season

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