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: bear · ground · fall · pop · object · lie · last · branch

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — final
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — crushed
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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