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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — size or range
  7. root — of a plant
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — thin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — in music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a word
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — the animal

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