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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  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