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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — help
  10. mine — for digging
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — a publisher
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — belonging to me

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