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 116 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: bowl · kick · march · sharp · scale · branch · trunk · wax

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. branch — a division
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. scale — in music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  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