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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — a line
  14. craft — boats
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. row — a quarrel
  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