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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lie — to recline
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — to bend

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