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: branch · snap · wax · pitcher · kick · shower · dip · march

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. march — music
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. shower — to wash
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. shower — rain
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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