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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — the amount
  7. toast — bread
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — size or range
  15. band — a ring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bound — obliged
  20. scale — in music
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wax — for sculpting

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