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: dip · cell · wax · can · racket · bat · march · patient

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bat — the animal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. dip — to sink
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wax — in the ear

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