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: bark · spring · bore · kick · track · rush · ground · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rush — hurry
  14. track — a song
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — of water
  21. kick — in football
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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