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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. straw — dry grass

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