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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. branch — a division
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — in sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. branch — of a tree

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