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: root · leaves · spring · cell · roll · wind · clip · wax

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cell — a phone
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a plant
  8. clip — a video
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — to cut
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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