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 116 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 · bear · band · pound · rule · mine · shower · lash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a ring
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rule — a law
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rule — government
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — to put up with

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