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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. craft — a skill
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. plane — a tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — lets stay

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