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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. land — ground
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — to come down
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chest — a box
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — an injury

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