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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. march — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. march — the month

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