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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spring — the season
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a dance
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a great time

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