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: prune · band · race · saw · bulb · cap · cue · wind

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. cue — a signal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cap — a lid
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. band — a ring
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wind — moving air

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