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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · pound · tear · fine · mate · band

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fine — all right
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pound — for dogs

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