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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hand — help
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — thin
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — shares
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stock — goods

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