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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — not warm
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — boats
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mine — for digging

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