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: row · calf · file · chest · spring · tube · bank · land

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. row — to paddle
  5. file — a tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a document
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — a container
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — of water
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chest — of your body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — the season

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