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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — the fish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — a box
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fall — to drop
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fall — the season

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