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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — in music
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — of water
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — the season
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bear — to put up with

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