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

Word bank: face · patient · rest · land · wound · board · bulb · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a committee
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — to confront
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — to point toward

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