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 120 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: stem · straw · plane · wax · safe · tube · spring · bowl

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — of a plant

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