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: land · capital · fan · can · hand · lean · patient · tear

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — a country
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — money
  7. lean — thin
  8. land — ground
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hand — help
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. can — to be able to
  17. capital — a city
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — to cool the air

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