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: capital · root · tear · deal · lie · wax · club · nail

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. club — for dancing
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. capital — money
  5. club — for golf
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — a group
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — to grow
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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