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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — the season
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. branch — a division
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hide — animal skin

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