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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pop — soda
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — a country
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. land — to come down
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. game — a match
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — ground
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a leader

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