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: wax · cold · press · mouse · scale · craft · row · straw

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. row — a line
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. press — to push
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. craft — a skill
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — boats
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — in music
  24. straw — dry grass

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