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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. spring — a coil
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spring — the season

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