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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bore — to tire
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. clip — a video
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — to drill
  17. current — electric
  18. chip — to eat
  19. current — happening now
  20. chip — for betting
  21. current — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. clip — for paper

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