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: season · bass · nail · hand · wind · fall · swing · spring

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. swing — music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fall — the season
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — the season
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bass — low music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — the fish

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