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: rash · key · wind · wax · wound · trunk · kid · calf

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — in music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rash — a series
  24. calf — a young animal

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