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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — happy
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. content — the amount
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — a short time

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