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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — thin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — 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