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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — of a word
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — of water
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. roll — a cake
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. net — in sport
  24. roll — a list

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