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: wound · perch · coach · ground · cabinet · shower · bat · wax

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — to grow
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — the earth
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — rain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — for sculpting

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