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: bass · wave · cold · pass · ground · bore · wax · land

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — a country
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — to come down
  8. ground — a position
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — low music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — ground
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cold — an illness

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