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: root · stand · tear · wind · chest · trunk · cap · file

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tear — to rip
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. root — the cause
  24. cap — a hat

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