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 120 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: wave · bulb · pound · present · land · march · club · root

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. root — of a word
  5. land — a country
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. root — of a plant
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — there
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — a gift
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. club — a group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. land — ground
  23. root — the cause
  24. present — the time now

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