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: bat · tube · squash · root · wax · present · straw · patient

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — there
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — the underground
  9. root — of a word
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. present — a gift
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — in a tire

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