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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — low music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — a video
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — the season

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