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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. roll — a list
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chair — a leader
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — the cause
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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