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 · date · cold · tube · root · mark · pit · vault

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. root — of a word
  6. cold — an illness
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — a trace
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tube — the underground

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