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 124 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rash — a series
  4. band — a ring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. key — in music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mate — a friend
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — for a lock

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