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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — for pool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. root — of a word
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a ring
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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