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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — to shout
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. charge — in control
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — the underground

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