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: face · trunk · bulb · rest · band · spring · pound · patient

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. band — a ring
  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