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: wound · pound · cap · tear · plane · leaves · straw · saw

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pound — to hit hard

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