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: scale · bulb · straw · spring · spell · saw · field · can

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — of water
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — magic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — in music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. can — to be able to
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. can — a tin

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