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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. last — to go on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wax — to grow
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. scale — in music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — all right
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of a tree

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