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: saw · squash · wax · field · lean · chest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — a box
  18. squash — to crush

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