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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. swing — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — size or range

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