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: dip · ball · jam · field · band · root · wave · board

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. board — a committee
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. root — the cause
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. board — to get on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — of a word
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a music group
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a ring
  24. board — a flat piece

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