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: plane · wax · hide · calf · chair · spring · mate · root

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spring — the season
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mate — to breed
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mate — a friend
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. calf — of the leg

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