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: arm · cell · mine · clip · tube · vault · row · patient

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a line
  12. tube — a container
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tube — the underground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — in biology
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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