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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — to protest
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bear — the animal
  8. object — a thing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. object — an aim
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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