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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cap — a lid
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — a stick
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. row — a line
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cold — not warm

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