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: bound · march · cap · wound · swing · perch · straw · tube

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — the underground
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cap — a hat
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bound — tied together
  24. perch — for a bird

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