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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. content — the amount
  24. trunk — of a car

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