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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — a break
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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