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: fork · mine · march · tube · saw · bear · spring · bore

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. saw — the tool

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