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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — for paper
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — a video
  24. racket — for tennis

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