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: hide · row · march · snap · wake · patient · lean · craft

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. march — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — thin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. snap — to click
  19. row — a line
  20. wake — a trail
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — to paddle
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. craft — a handicraft

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