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: hide · fall · bound · file · lean · trunk · kid · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fall — to drop
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — thin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — the season
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — for light
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. lean — to bend
  21. file — a tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — of a plant

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