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: wake · arm · bark · race · wind · bulb · bass · face

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. face — to confront
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — low music
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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