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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wax — to grow
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — for sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. capital — money
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — a subject
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. field — farmland
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. present — the time now

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