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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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