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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — to drill
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — to tire
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — temperature
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — the fruit

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