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: leaves · wax · cell · court · rash · perch · shower · hand

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. hand — in cards
  9. court — of law
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — a series
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. leaves — of a tree

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