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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wax — to grow
  4. press — newspapers
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — to push
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spring — a coil

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