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: wind · suit · branch · tear · net · wound · drill · clip

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. suit — clothes
  3. net — after costs
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. clip — a video
  11. drill — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tear — from crying
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — in sport
  19. suit — in cards
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. drill — a practice

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