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: bulb · scale · foot · wound · leaves · spell · wake · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. race — a contest
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wake — before a funeral

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