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 · land · wax · face · stem · row · lash · march

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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 — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — to come down
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. march — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — a country
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to point toward
  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