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: degree · tube · patient · mate · hide · leaves · wake · spring

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — a container
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — a partner
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — the underground
  24. leaves — of a tree

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