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 · kick · pop · squash · rest · press · wave · field

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — to push
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. pop — music
  12. rest — a break
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — a subject
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — soda
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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