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: leaves · face · wax · fall · mine · rock · root · straw

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. face — part of the head
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to point toward
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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