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: leaves · band · present · stock · wind · season · spring · toast

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. season — in sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — shares
  18. present — there
  19. band — a ring
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — of the year

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