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: pitcher · lash · field · branch · patient · kick · rash · tube

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kick — in football
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — a container
  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