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 · wax · racket · drill · bat · wound · lie · straw

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — a division
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. drill — army training
  24. straw — a straw man

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