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: patient · press · clip · capital · fall · file · straw · branch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. file — a line of people
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — money
  10. clip — a video
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — a division
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — dry grass

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