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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lean — thin
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spell — magic
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — letters
  20. face — to confront
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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