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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stand — to bear
  9. swing — music
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — in football
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. drill — army training
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — a practice
  24. swing — in golf

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