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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — to drop
  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