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 116 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: patient · kick · drill · leaves · wind · bark · calf · clip

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. clip — a video
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kick — in football
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. drill — the tool
  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