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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — to cut

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