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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. current — of water
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — a stone
  24. current — happening now

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