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: wound · rush · fork · degree · staff · present · spring · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — there
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — a coil
  13. staff — employees
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — the time now
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. present — a gift
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. degree — temperature

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