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: hand · wax · file · racket · fan · date · tube · foot

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wax — to grow
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hand — help

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