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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rush — hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — help
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — finally
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — magic
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — final

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