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: spring · perch · bat · last · rock · root · wax · cap

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rock — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cap — a lid
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — the season
  12. last — to go on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cap — a hat
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — a stone

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