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: spring · wave · wax · kid · date · wake · ground · pop

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spring — of water
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ground — crushed
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — the earth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pop — music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. kid — child
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — the season

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