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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chair — a leader
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — a video
  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