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

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. row — a line
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — for sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. band — a ring
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. band — a music group
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. row — to paddle

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