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: fan · wind · chip · band · saw · net · wax · branch

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — for catching
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — after costs
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — to grow
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — to eat
  18. band — a ring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. branch — 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