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 · wax · roll · mine · kid · track · bound · fork

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. roll — a cake
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — in a road
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — to keep track
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wax — to grow

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