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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — to go on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — final
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rush — hurry

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