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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. season — of the year
  9. capital — money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. capital — a city
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — the tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — army training
  24. bulb — for light

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