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: swing · pound · bark · stem · net · spring · ball · jam

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. spring — a coil
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. spring — the season
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — to play on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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