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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pit — in a race
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — to grow
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — an illness
  12. scale — in music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pit — a hole
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stand — to bear
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stand — on your feet

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