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: tear · branch · fine · bound · hand · can · ground · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stock — shares
  9. ground — a position
  10. fine — all right
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — to rip
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — a division
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stock — goods

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