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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — a division
  3. land — to come down
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — to dunk

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