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: cap · face · trunk · wind · bank · capital · bound · fan

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bank — for money
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — to confront
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — certain
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — of ice
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. capital — a city
  24. bound — obliged

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