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: wax · stick · snap · stand · spring · craft · capital · clip

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — boats
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. capital — money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wax — to grow
  19. craft — a skill
  20. capital — a city
  21. stand — to bear
  22. snap — to click
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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