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: spring · cold · bear · fan · rest · club · bulb · wave

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — a break
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for golf
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. spring — of water

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