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 116 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: root · race · face · cold · lie · ruler · cell · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. face — part of the head
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. race — a contest
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — humankind
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — a phone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cold — an illness
  23. face — to confront
  24. lie — to recline

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