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: hand · bank · land · pitch · fan · tear · trunk · march

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — ground
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — a country
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — the month
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — of a river
  14. land — to come down
  15. march — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bank — for money

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