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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — to get on
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — ground
  9. board — a committee
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — an illness
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — a country
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. land — to come down
  20. craft — boats
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. craft — a skill
  24. patient — a sick person

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