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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a ring
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. clip — a video
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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