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: mark · ball · branch · date · saw · snap · march · wax

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a grade
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — the fruit

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