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: clip · jam · march · sharp · tube · branch · patient · wind

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tube — the underground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — for paper
  5. branch — a division
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — a video
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — to cut
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. jam — in traffic

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