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: bound · pop · degree · wax · ball · bulb · hand · wind

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pop — music

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