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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. plane — a tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a ring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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