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: wake · calf · cold · snap · patient · row · pass · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lean — thin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to click
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wake — a trail

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