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 · race · mouse · bank · bore · wound · land · prune

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — a country
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — to tire
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — to come down
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — an injury

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