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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. net — after costs
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. band — a ring
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. board — to get on
  24. wave — with your hand

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