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: lean · spring · branch · bat · bound · wax · march · foot

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spring — the season
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — a division
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — a measure

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