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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stand — to bear
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. march — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — moving air

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