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: kid · bank · rush · pitch · lie · plane · degree · wax

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — to grow
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bank — of a river

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