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: kid · capital · bound · wax · root · bass · roll · spell

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a city
  8. roll — a list
  9. spell — magic
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — child
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — certain
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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