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: temple · arm · shower · wax · pound · capital · calf · pitcher

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pound — a weight
  13. capital — money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. shower — rain
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — of the leg

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