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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. root — of a word
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. root — the cause
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wound — an injury
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — in sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — to add flavour
  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