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: vault · clip · branch · season · spring · tube · cell · nail

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. vault — a safe
  5. season — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. clip — for paper
  8. spring — a coil
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — of the year
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cell — a phone
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tube — the underground
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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