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 124 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — a path
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cue — a hint
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — a signal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — to trim

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