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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — soda
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — letters
  16. spring — of water
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — a coil
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — the season
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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