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 120 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: ball · tear · saw · leaves · branch · key · wind · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ball — a great time

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