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 120 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: march · branch · capital · wound · net · rush · mine · rash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — a division
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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