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: tear · spring · roll · wave · coach · wake · key · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. key — in music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. key — the most important part
  8. content — happy
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — a list
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — of water
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — the amount
  24. wave — with your hand

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