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 · face · row · spell · chest · trunk · squash · nail

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — magic
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — letters
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. squash — the sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. face — to point toward
  14. row — a line
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — to confront
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — a box

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