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: spring · pop · bear · bound · clip · face · rock · staff

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — tied together
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bound — certain
  16. clip — a video
  17. rock — music
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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