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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — of water
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — a division
  5. land — ground
  6. spring — the season
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — to come down
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. spring — a coil
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — electric
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rash — hasty
  24. perch — for a bird

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