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: current · spring · wound · pop · hide · lean · staff · tear

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. current — happening now
  3. spring — the season
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — of water
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — thin
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. current — electric

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