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: staff · trunk · chair · leaves · wax · calf · deal · racket

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. deal — to handle
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. leaves — of a tree

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