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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — for paper
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — the season
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — in a tire

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