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: craft · bear · object · plane · clip · field · patient · bat

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — the animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. object — to protest
  12. bear — the animal
  13. object — a thing
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a skill
  24. clip — for paper

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