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

Word bank: band · tube · pass · row · arm · bat · fine · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tube — a container
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fine — all right
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fine — high quality

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