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

Word bank: lean · root · wax · staff · spell · field · straw · rash

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — the cause
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — farmland
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. staff — employees
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. lean — thin
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. wax — to grow

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