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: spring · spell · bound · patient · fine · fan · march · bass

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — letters
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — a coil
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fine — high quality
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — all right
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — obliged

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