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: cap · march · wax · bore · squash · wake · mate · field

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — farmland
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cap — a lid
  16. field — for sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. field — a subject
  19. march — music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mate — a friend

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