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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stand — to bear
  10. clip — a video
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wake — a trail

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