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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spring — a coil
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — of water
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. shower — rain
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wax — in the ear

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