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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. craft — boats
  5. bat — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. present — there
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. present — a gift
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — the time now
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — letters
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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