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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — a country
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. clip — a video
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. scale — in music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — a container
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — ground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. clip — for paper
  24. scale — size or range

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