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: fall · tear · leaves · snap · stick · patient · plane · cabinet

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to click
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — to go away

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