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: degree · wake · wind · roll · mine · root · cue · tube

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — an amount
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. degree — temperature
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cue — for pool

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