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: patient · plane · kid · season · wave · cap · arm · bank

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kid — to tease
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — a hat
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. plane — a tool
  23. kid — child
  24. bank — of a river

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