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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · kid · wave · foot · spring · bound · snap · lean

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spring — the season
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spring — a coil
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — of water
  18. lean — thin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — obliged
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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