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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chest — a box
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — to push
  10. stand — to bear
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tear — to rip
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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