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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. current — electric
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. current — happening now
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — an illness

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