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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — of water
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — for sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. field — a subject
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — a division
  24. hide — animal skin

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