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: mark · bulb · calf · capital · rush · wax · rest · cold

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cold — an illness

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