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: branch · bat · bass · degree · arm · wake · swing · fall

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. degree — temperature
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — to play on

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