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

Word bank: wind · tube · bass · fall · snap · leaves · saw · rest

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bass — the fish
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fall — the season
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. snap — to click
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — low music

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