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: bass · bark · stand · bowl · scale · branch · rest · press

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stand — to bear
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — what's left
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bark — to shout
  23. branch — a division
  24. press — newspapers

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