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: stock · bass · spring · object · trunk · coach · patient · straw

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. object — a thing
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — of water
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — low music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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