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: march · rash · wind · kid · wax · rock · dip · plane

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rock — music
  13. march — music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — to grow
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rash — a series
  23. plane — a tool
  24. march — the month

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