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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a document
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — completely
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — to grow
  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