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 124 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — after costs
  7. field — a subject
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — farmland
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — a container

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