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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — in football
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chip — to eat
  6. branch — a division
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — a coil
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — in sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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