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: press · wave · file · land · spell · wax · arm · mate

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — to come down
  11. press — a publisher
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. press — newspapers
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a document
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — to breed

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