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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — for sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a lid
  11. press — to push
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — farmland
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a hat
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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