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: fork · bowl · march · bulb · chest · plane · band · patient

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chest — a box
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chest — of your body

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