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: face · root · scale · rule · racket · wax · land · wake

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. face — to confront
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — in music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — government
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — part of the head
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — ground
  19. root — the cause
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — of a plant
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a word

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