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: spring · present · wax · fine · firm · key · shower · prune

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — of water
  10. fine — high quality
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. wax — to grow
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. key — in music
  23. present — there
  24. shower — rain

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