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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bass — low music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. root — of a word
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — the cause
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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