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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — in cards
  14. capital — a city
  15. key — the most important part
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hand — help
  19. rash — a series
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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