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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · hand · ball · patient · stock · leaves · object · spring

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a dance
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. object — to protest
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a great 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