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 · arm · field · root · face · shower · mine · bear

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — a subject
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. field — farmland
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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