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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. clip — a video
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — farmland
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — a weight
  24. field — for sport

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