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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — a container
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — final
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. field — a subject
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — the underground

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