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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. clip — for paper
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. dip — to sink
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. straw — dry grass

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