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: club · swing · band · nail · capital · arm · wind · wax

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. band — a ring
  4. swing — to play on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — in golf
  7. band — a music group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — a group
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. club — for golf
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wax — for sculpting

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