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: bear · spring · hide · mine · plane · coach · cue · wax

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cue — a hint
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — for pool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mine — an explosive

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