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: roll · field · wave · hand · bass · bound · mark · root

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — a subject
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bound — certain
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hand — in cards
  14. roll — a list
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. root — the cause
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mark — a trace
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — help
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — the fish

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