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: land · lean · wax · date · squash · vault · snap · fan

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — the fruit
  3. land — a country
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — to grow
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. land — ground
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lean — thin
  19. snap — to click
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. squash — to crush

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