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 120 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: lean · band · pit · wax · leaves · ball · shower · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ball — a dance
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — the underground
  14. shower — rain
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. tube — a container

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