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: cold · mate · drill · branch · ruler · wake · root · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. march — music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. march — the month
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — army training
  10. mate — a partner
  11. drill — a practice
  12. branch — a division
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wake — a trail

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