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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — to go on
  4. present — the time now
  5. pass — a permit
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a ring

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