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: spell · shower · wax · arm · last · capital · calf · pound

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — finally
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. spell — a short time
  8. last — to go on
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — to grow
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — to wash
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — rain
  22. pound — a weight
  23. capital — a city
  24. last — final

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