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 120 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: chair · foot · stem · chest · wax · lash · hand · capital

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chest — a box
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chair — a professorship

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