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: last · row · bound · spring · track · file · wave · pound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. file — a tool
  3. spring — the season
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. row — a line
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — obliged
  11. last — to go on
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. last — final
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — a path
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. last — finally
  21. file — a document
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — of water
  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