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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fine — all right
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — to rip
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. craft — boats
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — to grow

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