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: march · branch · clip · rush · spell · squash · bass · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. squash — to crush
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lean — thin
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — to cut
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — magic
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — low music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — music
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — a short time
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to bend
  24. branch — of a bank

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