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: season · cold · bulb · march · root · degree · prune · coach

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. march — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — an illness
  7. degree — from a university
  8. season — in sport
  9. cold — not warm
  10. degree — temperature
  11. root — of a word
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — of the year
  17. march — the month
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. march — the month

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