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 · last · straw · row · lash · wax · swing · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — to go on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — final
  7. row — a line
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — to play on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — in golf
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wake — a trail

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