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 116 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: present · spring · stem · wave · bound · rock · rash · file

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — the time now
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. file — a document
  10. present — there
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rock — music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — certain

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