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: mug · file · ruler · arm · pitcher · branch · field · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. mug — a cup
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. field — for sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — a face

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