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: ground · leaves · wind · patient · mine · fan · spring · pitch

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ground — a position
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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