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: straw · wax · cold · bat · field · bank · bore · fan

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — farmland
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. field — a subject
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wax — in the ear

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