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: fall · branch · lie · wave · press · bat · temple · kid

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fall — the season
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — child
  24. bat — for baseball

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