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: wound · bulb · band · cell · present · rash · season · last

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — finally
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — a gift
  8. band — a music group
  9. present — the time now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. present — there

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