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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — low music
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — a horse colour

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