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: scale · wax · band · toast · tube · calf · land · pitcher

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tube — the underground
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. toast — bread
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — a country
  22. band — a music group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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