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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. toast — bread
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — electric
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — to grow
  20. current — happening now
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — a permit
  24. current — of water

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