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: pitcher · stem · wax · wave · wake · cold · hand · cap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cap — a hat

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