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: wax · fan · mark · clip · stand · fork · track · hand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — help
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mark — a trace
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hand — in cards
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — to grow
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — a video
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. track — a path
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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