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: saw · stand · scale · bowl · mine · root · season · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a plant
  6. season — in sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — for digging
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. root — of a word
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. scale — in music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — belonging to me

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