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: cold · spring · stand · tube · object · rock · deal · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — the season
  4. rock — a stone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — hurry
  8. object — a thing
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. object — an aim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. spring — of water

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