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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lean — thin
  5. firm — decided
  6. rest — what's left
  7. firm — a company
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — to rip
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — music
  20. firm — steady
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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