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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — to bend
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — to grow
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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