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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — of a word
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — the cause
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. root — of a plant
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lean — thin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tube — a container

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