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 120 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — child
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — after costs
  24. wake — before a funeral

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