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: hide · straw · cue · branch · wake · bore · mine · cold

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cue — a hint
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — for digging
  15. branch — a division
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cue — a signal

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