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: press · fall · tear · cap · row · wax · capital · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. press — to push
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a city
  11. present — a gift
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a line
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — a publisher
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — there
  23. cap — of ice
  24. capital — money

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