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: mine · season · kid · bulb · fall · spring · ball · tear

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — child
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — from crying

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