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: leaves · cold · lean · wake · lie · temple · spring · bulb

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lean — thin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — the season
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — a coil

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