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: bat · kid · wax · saw · band · last · object · rush

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — a thing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. object — to protest
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. object — an aim
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. last — final
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. last — finally
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — to hurry

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