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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to tire
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — to go away

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