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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — in cards
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a ring
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — help
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rest — what's left
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a dance
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ball — a great time
  21. squash — to crush
  22. band — a music group
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — a break

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