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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. branch — a division
  10. row — a line
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pound — a weight
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. file — a document
  24. date — on the calendar

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