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: bulb · capital · straw · rush · tear · root · craft · mouse

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. root — the cause
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — boats
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. capital — money
  24. straw — dry grass

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