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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lean — thin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — a division
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lean — to bend
  19. present — there
  20. bark — to shout
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — a publisher

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