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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — for digging
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bass — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. root — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. root — the cause
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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