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

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. present — the time now
  15. press — to push
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a skill
  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