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: cold · wax · sharp · stick · rash · pound · branch · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. branch — a division
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wax — to grow
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — a series
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cue — a hint
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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