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: chest · arm · wax · safe · mate · patient · spring · bore

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. spring — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — of water
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — a coil
  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