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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. stand — to bear
  7. object — to protest
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. leaves — of a tree

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