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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — finally
  6. mug — a face
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hand — help
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. net — after costs
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ball — a dance
  24. net — in sport

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