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: degree · tear · branch · chest · file · root · foot · bear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bear — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — the cause
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — of a word
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a document
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. file — a line of people
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a tool

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