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: bowl · press · patient · trunk · arm · cabinet · fall · straw

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — to drop
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fall — the season
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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