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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — the cause
  9. snap — to click
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — a series
  17. cell — a phone
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rash — on the skin

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