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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. file — a tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a document
  6. net — for catching
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — the season
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. net — in sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — of water
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — ministers

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