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: spring · hand · field · season · current · hide · rash · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — a coil
  11. current — happening now
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. season — of the year
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — farmland
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — of water
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — hasty

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