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: band · lean · swing · court · bear · wound · spell · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spell — letters
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — of a king
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — a short time
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a music group
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of law
  22. spell — magic
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — the animal

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