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: spring · wake · wax · court · patient · lash · saw · branch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. court — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — of water
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spring — the season
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — a division

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