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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. swing — in golf
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — to play on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. tube — a container

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