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 120 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 · drill · cell · trunk · patient · degree · lash · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cell — a phone
  14. drill — army training
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. drill — a practice
  24. degree — temperature

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