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: lean · bulb · rash · kid · suit · hand · mine · spring

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — clothes
  17. kid — child
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — help
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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