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: coach · bowl · bass · trunk · lean · cold · spring · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — happening now
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. current — of water
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lean — thin
  20. current — electric
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bowl — a football final

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