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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pass — a permit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stem — to come from
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — of the year
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. season — in 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