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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lean — thin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. lean — to bend
  24. spell — letters

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