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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — of water
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — the season
  17. can — to be able to
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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