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 116 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: wave · cell · pass · track · branch · wind · face · cold

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. track — a path
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cell — a phone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. branch — a division
  24. track — to keep track

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