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 116 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: bulb · pop · season · bowl · trunk · saw · spring · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — in sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — a coil

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