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: bulb · capital · wake · spring · saw · roll · wax · dip

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — the season
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. roll — a list
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a city
  24. dip — to dunk

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