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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cold — not warm
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

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