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 124 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mark — a grade
  4. band — a ring
  5. spring — the season
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bank — for money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — for money
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cold — an illness
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — to pay attention

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