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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — to come down
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — the season
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spring — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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