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: season · fork · wax · shower · band · bass · mate · perch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. band — a music group
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — rain
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — for a bird

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