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 · field · mug · bass · wound · bat · fan · straw

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. field — a subject

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