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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — a division
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — the animal

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