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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — for catching
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — magic
  24. ruler — for measuring

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