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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — for pool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — a division
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pop — music

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