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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — farmland
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. field — for sport
  13. swing — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — to shout
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — of the sea

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