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: band · can · firm · cold · rush · wax · perch · lash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. firm — steady
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — hurry
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — a company
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cold — an illness
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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