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

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. clip — a video
  12. bound — certain
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — help
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — a stem cell

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