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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. last — to go on
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — to grow
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fine — all right
  18. face — to confront
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — final
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. face — part of the head
  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