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: mug · wake · patient · rash · tear · clip · date · lean

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lean — to bend
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mug — a cup
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — a video
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — hasty
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — thin
  24. clip — for paper

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