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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wax — to grow
  5. scale — in music
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — in a road
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — a video
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — for money
  23. plane — a tool
  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