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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. craft — boats
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — farmland
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. stock — goods
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. field — for sport

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