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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — boats
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. cold — not warm

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