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: leaves · branch · bass · wax · shower · prune · bat · mug

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. shower — rain
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a face
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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