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: spell · rock · band · club · press · root · pop · wound

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. band — a ring
  3. club — for golf
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pop — music
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. club — for dancing
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pop — soda
  15. press — to push
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — the cause
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. root — of a plant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pop — to visit

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