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 116 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 · face · cell · staff · chip · craft · bound · tube

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — a coil
  4. staff — employees
  5. craft — boats
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bound — tied together
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — the season
  15. cell — a phone
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. craft — a skill
  23. staff — employees
  24. cell — in biology

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