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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — farmland
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — a list
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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