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: prune · fan · court · branch · stick · kick · bay · cap

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. court — of a king
  9. kick — in football
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. court — for sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — a lid
  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