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

Word bank: net · rock · cell · field · branch · spring · cap · bound

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cell — in biology
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — farmland
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — of a bank

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