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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — to grow
  17. charge — in control
  18. branch — a division
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. charge — a price
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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