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: rash · season · spring · mine · scale · straw · date · bark

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — of the year
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — in music
  23. rash — a series
  24. straw — dry grass

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