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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. clip — to cut
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — happening now
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — the underground
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tube — a container
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mate — a friend

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