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 120 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: ball · kick · bound · tear · bear · trunk · wound · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — tied together
  23. land — a country
  24. ball — a great time

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