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: saw · clip · wound · wax · cell · drill · straw · roll

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. drill — a practice
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cell — a phone
  20. clip — a video
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. roll — a cake

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