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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · pound · chest · nail · cap · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cap — a hat

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