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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. can — a tin
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. shower — rain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wax — to grow

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