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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. file — a document
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. file — a tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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