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: wound · current · court · branch · squash · toast · tube · snap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. current — electric
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. court — of a king
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tube — a container
  21. toast — bread
  22. current — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  24. toast — the most admired

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