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: lean · bore · rush · clip · last · chest · rash · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — final
  15. rash — a series
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — to cut
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — hurry

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