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: lean · branch · degree · fork · plane · squash · press · rash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. squash — the sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rash — a series
  13. degree — temperature
  14. branch — a division
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rash — hasty
  18. plane — a tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. press — to push
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. press — newspapers

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