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: branch · date · mouse · board · rush · drill · wind · tube

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. board — to get on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. drill — a practice
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — army training
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — the underground
  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