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: spring · bass · squash · rush · fan · fall · hand · patient

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — low music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bass — the fish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — help

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