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 124 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: shower · bass · wax · court · straw · rule · key · trunk

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rule — government
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — for a lock
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — the most important part
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wax — to grow

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