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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — soda
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — ground
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lean — thin
  21. stand — to bear
  22. land — a country
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stand — on your feet

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