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: row · trunk · wave · wind · cold · cabinet · bound · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a line
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bound — certain
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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