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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — to come down
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chip — to eat
  7. perch — the fish
  8. land — ground
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. squash — the sport

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