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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. land — to come down
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wave — of the sea

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