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: shower · net · field · arm · fork · band · fine · wax

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. field — a subject
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — farmland
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — for sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. shower — rain
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. band — a music group
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — to grow
  24. band — a rubber band

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