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: wave · chest · can · spring · chair · wind · wax · wake

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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