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: patient · date · bat · spring · wound · rest · lash · track

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — the season
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. rest — a break
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rest — what's left

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