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: cap · capital · roll · key · cell · spring · branch · field

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — the season
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a lid
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — money
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — for sport

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