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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — of water
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — to paddle
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bass — low music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. coach — a trainer

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