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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — in a road
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — of a word
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cap — of ice
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. root — the cause
  24. wax — for sculpting

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