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: cue · patient · wind · lean · band · can · scale · chest

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — size or range
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chest — a box
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — thin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. band — a rubber band

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