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: patient · content · pound · bark · wind · hide · wound · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — to shout
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — a weight
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wind — to turn a key

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