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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — to bend
  8. content — the amount
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lean — thin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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