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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. club — a group
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. club — for golf
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — a video
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wave — with your hand

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