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: wax · jam · track · bear · hand · march · fan · clip

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. clip — a video
  3. march — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — help
  24. jam — in traffic

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