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

Word bank: racket · spring · field · branch · root · pound · rest · lash

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — the cause
  5. rest — a break
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. root — of a word
  16. field — a subject
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — a coil

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