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: bowl · wake · content · bank · straw · root · cell · bound

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wake — a trail
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. root — the cause
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cell — a phone
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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