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: spell · wax · root · track · snap · squash · pop · ground

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — the cause
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — to keep track
  8. root — of a word
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spell — letters
  12. track — a path
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — a song
  24. root — of a plant

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