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: march · kid · mine · band · bat · rock · bulb · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. band — a music group
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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