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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — to rip
  6. last — finally
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — to keep track
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a song
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — to go on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lean — thin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fall — the season

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