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: wax · spell · capital · perch · bank · pitcher · game · cell

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — magic
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — of a river
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — a phone

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