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

Word bank: cold · bulb · patient · cabinet · season · plane · root · squash

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. squash — the sport
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — the cause
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. season — in sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — of a plant
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. root — of a word
  21. plane — a tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — an illness

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