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: stand · wake · clip · capital · branch · row · rest · wax

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. branch — a division
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. clip — for paper
  10. row — to paddle
  11. capital — money
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — a trail
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. clip — a video
  24. row — a quarrel

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