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: season · rest · wax · tube · chair · spring · net · coach

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rest — a break
  12. tube — a container
  13. net — after costs
  14. spring — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — for catching
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — of the year
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — in sport

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