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: can · cap · race · board · wax · branch · cold · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. branch — a division
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cap — a hat
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — to get on
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cap — a lid
  23. race — a contest
  24. board — a committee

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