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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — the tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. bark — to shout
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. shower — to wash

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