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: hand · temple · stand · march · mark · branch · pitcher · lean

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — help
  7. branch — a division
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — in cards
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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