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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — ground
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. deal — to handle
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — to crush
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — a country
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lean — thin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — a city
  24. deal — an agreement

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