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: prune · pitcher · wave · march · bowl · wax · mine · tear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tear — to rip

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