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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — a division
  8. cue — a signal
  9. present — there
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. present — a gift
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — for pool
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. clip — for paper
  24. present — the time now

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