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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. tear — to rip
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cue — a hint
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hand — help
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wind — moving air

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