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: tear · cue · plane · pitcher · patient · tube · wound · can

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. plane — a tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tear — to rip
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tube — a container
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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