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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — in music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cold — an illness
  19. spring — the season
  20. cold — not warm
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. key — for a lock

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