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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — the animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — to put up with

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