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: file · pop · cabinet · land · wax · arm · scale · patient

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a document
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — a country

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