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: bay · wax · pop · rash · band · tube · rush · swing

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — a container
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pop — soda
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — to visit
  19. swing — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — music

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