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: leaves · bore · wax · last · wind · race · wake · racket

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to drill
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — to go on
  12. wake — a trail
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — humankind
  24. leaves — of a tree

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