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: wind · straw · leaves · root · bulb · bass · date · wake

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — low music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. root — of a word

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