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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — certain
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — obliged
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — a video
  24. bound — tied together

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