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 120 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: stand · wake · band · safe · bulb · pit · field · tear

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. band — a music group
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — of a plant

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