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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — to come down
  11. present — there
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. spring — the season
  16. present — a gift
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. present — the time now
  19. toast — bread
  20. spring — of water
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — a country

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