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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — in football
  15. branch — a division
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wax — in the ear

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