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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ground — a position
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cell — in a prison

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