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: club · pound · spring · coach · craft · wax · deal · field

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — a subject
  8. craft — a skill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — for sport
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. craft — boats
  19. field — farmland
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. club — a group
  24. pound — a weight

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