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: straw · bulb · cold · firm · trunk · pitcher · tear · safe

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cold — not warm

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