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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. last — finally
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — to paddle
  18. face — to confront
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — an explosive
  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