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: cell · rest · branch · ground · chest · tear · perch · safe

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — a position
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ground — crushed
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chest — a box
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rest — a break
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — a phone

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