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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. band — a music group
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fine — all right

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