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 120 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: fine · tear · clip · band · temple · arm · wake · wave

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. band — a ring
  15. fine — all right
  16. clip — a video
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wake — a trail

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