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: object · straw · rash · stem · pop · game · bulb · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — an aim
  8. pop — music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — hasty
  11. object — a thing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — to protest
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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