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: branch · last · can · rule · band · cell · pitcher · stem

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — final
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rule — government
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. band — a rubber band

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