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: fine · mine · drill · wax · board · rash · game · band

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fine — high quality
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. drill — a practice
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rash — a series
  10. fine — all right
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — to get on
  24. wax — to grow

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