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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a committee
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. board — to get on
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — a container
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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