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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. swing — to play on
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — army training
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — in golf
  14. field — for sport
  15. swing — music
  16. field — farmland
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — to shout
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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