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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. file — a document
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bark — to shout
  12. file — a tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. club — a group
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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