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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — low music
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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