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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — the underground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — a coil
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — to grow
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — of water

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