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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — to shout
  11. face — to confront
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — for sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a music group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — a break
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — part of the head

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