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 · plane · fall · sharp · roll · fan · hand · bore

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. roll — a list
  5. tear — to rip
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — the season
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — a tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a cake

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