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: tear · clip · toast · pop · wax · march · object · lean

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pop — to visit
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — thin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pop — soda
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — bread
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — to cut
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. march — music
  24. tear — from crying

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