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: bass · land · ground · bound · bulb · rock · spring · band

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — ground
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spring — of water

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