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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spell — a short time
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wind — moving air

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