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 116 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: straw · trunk · board · file · kid · fall · season · branch

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — a division
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — child
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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