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: swing · trunk · scale · bound · tear · wave · fall · season

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — of the year
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. swing — to play on

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