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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — a container
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. current — of water
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bass — low music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — the underground
  23. march — music
  24. bass — the instrument

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