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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — to eat
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — for betting
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. snap — to click
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — money
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. capital — a big letter

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