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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. branch — a division
  6. chest — a box
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bore — to drill
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — a loud noise

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