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: straw · snap · bank · field · wind · coach · fork · bass

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. field — a subject
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. field — for sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. snap — to click

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