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 120 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: chest · bore · bear · wax · pitcher · field · mate · ruler

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — for sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chest — a box
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ruler — a monarch

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