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: wax · fall · mine · rock · stand · rush · season · clip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. season — to add flavour

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