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 120 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: spell · leaves · bound · ground · pop · spring · deal · straw

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spell — letters
  17. bound — certain
  18. ground — the earth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pop — soda

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