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: cold · fan · perch · wind · present · leaves · patient · tear

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. present — a gift
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. present — there
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — for a bird

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