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: face · wind · patient · deal · craft · wax · wound · field

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — a subject
  4. craft — boats
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — for sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — farmland
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — to handle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to point toward
  24. craft — a handicraft

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