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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — in a race
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — of water
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stem — a stem cell

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