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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. hand — help
  7. bank — for money
  8. rule — government
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — a law
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rest — a break
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rest — what's left

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