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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. chest — a box
  6. band — a ring
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — hasty
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — the fish
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bowl — a football final

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