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: wax · root · craft · straw · lean · bat · band · last

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. craft — boats
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. root — the cause
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a word
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. root — of a plant
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — thin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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