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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spring — a coil
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lie — to recline
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — certain
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. spring — of water
  23. perch — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

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