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: tear · wind · mine · key · nail · fork · spring · wound

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. key — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — of water
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — on a finger

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