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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. row — a line
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to click
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — a container
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — a subject
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — farmland

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