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: wound · content · root · tear · arm · nail · rash · wind

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — the cause
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. root — of a plant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — of a word
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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