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: ruler · chest · straw · shower · pop · wax · hide · trunk

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — a box
  11. shower — rain
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — to visit

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