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: fine · bank · bulb · cold · wax · pit · bat · perch

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — not warm
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — for money
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fine — all right
  14. bank — of a river
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — in an idiom

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