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: branch · arm · mine · mate · clip · wind · mark · stand

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mark — a trace
  7. clip — for paper
  8. branch — a division
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — to breed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — for digging
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — to bear
  24. clip — a video

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