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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — a container
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — to breed
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. file — a line of people
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mug — a face

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