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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — from a university
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ball — a great time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — the fruit

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