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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tube — the underground
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — a country
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — low music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — the cause
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — ground
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — to turn a key

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