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: pound · game · chest · leaves · plane · bear · spring · hand

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spring — the season
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — of water

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