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: pit · kid · prune · branch · cap · degree · wave · wound

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kid — to tease
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — child
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cap — of ice
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. degree — from a university
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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