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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pit — in a race
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cell — a phone
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — a trace
  12. object — a thing
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. object — to protest
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — a division
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. object — an aim
  24. pit — a hole

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