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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — final
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — the season
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — to go on
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. race — the arms race

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