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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — letters
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — child
  24. mug — a face

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