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: trunk · clip · patient · bank · mine · stand · wax · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. clip — a video
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bank — of a river
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — to bear
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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