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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — a container
  6. branch — a division
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. press — a publisher
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fine — all right
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — to grow
  15. press — to push
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — a penalty

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