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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. squash — to crush
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lean — thin
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lean — to bend
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — to shout
  24. root — of a word

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