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 120 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: bound · squash · mine · spring · stock · scale · patient · present

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spring — a coil
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stock — shares
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — certain
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bound — tied together
  20. squash — the sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. present — a gift
  23. stock — goods
  24. present — there

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