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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · lean · pound · club · wax · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — thin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. club — a group
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pound — a weight
  11. toast — bread
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lean — to bend

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