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: clip · pound · bowl · wind · wound · root · straw · wax

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. root — the cause
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a word
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pound — a weight
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — to cut

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