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: root · scale · date · spell · wax · board · net · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — the fruit
  4. scale — in music
  5. spell — magic
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — letters
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — after costs
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. root — of a plant

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