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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a ring
  3. land — ground
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. land — a country
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. band — a music group
  21. board — to get on
  22. field — a subject
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. field — farmland

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