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: field · bear · wax · drill · spring · snap · fan · branch

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — a practice
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — the tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. drill — army training
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — a division
  21. snap — to click
  22. field — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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