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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. tube — a container
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. spring — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — to come down
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. land — a country
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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