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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. root — of a word
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. root — the cause

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