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: press · calf · tear · snap · branch · rash · drill · row

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. press — a publisher
  6. snap — to click
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — to push
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. branch — of a tree

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