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: ground · stand · leaves · dip · wound · row · spring · lean

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lean — thin
  8. ground — a position
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ground — the earth
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. dip — to sink

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