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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kick — in football
  24. row — a line

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