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: tear · fan · roll · leaves · lean · land · date · tube

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. roll — a list
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — the fruit
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. land — ground
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tube — the underground
  23. roll — a cake
  24. leaves — to go away

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