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: fan · bound · spring · rush · bay · rash · cell · bark

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — a series
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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