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: bass · bulb · row · mug · wake · stick · roll · wound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. roll — a list
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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