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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of law
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. current — of water
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — to shout
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a face
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — happening now
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mug — to rob
  24. court — for sport

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