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 · mouse · leaves · jam · deal · wind · squash · wound

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mouse — the animal

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