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: wake · game · firm · rock · tube · prune · face · land

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — wild animals
  7. firm — steady
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — a container
  10. firm — a company
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. game — a match
  15. firm — decided
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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