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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spell — a short time

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