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: staff · spring · drill · fork · lash · tube · fan · track

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — a container
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. drill — army training
  24. fork — in a road

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