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 116 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: branch · pitch · clip · saw · wax · rock · squash · bowl

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. saw — the tool

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