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: drill · march · field · board · season · bulb · tube · wave

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — farmland
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a committee
  8. march — the month
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — to get on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. season — of the year
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — the tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — music
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. march — the month
  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