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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — rain
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. current — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a dance
  17. current — happening now
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a city
  20. fork — in a road
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. current — electric
  24. fork — a garden tool

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