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: foot · rash · ground · march · land · fall · bulb · wound

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fall — the season
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — a position
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ground — crushed
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — a series
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. foot — a measure

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