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: scale · ball · sharp · squash · rash · lean · wax · cold

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — in music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ball — a great time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. squash — the sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lean — thin
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to bend

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