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: bulb · rock · staff · tear · field · capital · hide · row

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. row — a line
  8. capital — money
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a city
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. field — for sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — to rip
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — from crying

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