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 120 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: wound · season · pitch · deal · pitcher · patient · spring · wax

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — completely
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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