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: wake · patient · wound · sharp · bark · clip · straw · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. clip — a video
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wake — a trail
  13. clip — for paper
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — to cut
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — clever
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. patient — a sick person

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