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: degree · land · snap · branch · saw · clip · press · bank

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — temperature
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — to come down
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. clip — a video
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to click
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — of a river
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. press — to push
  22. degree — from a university
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bank — for money

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