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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wake — a trail
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spring — of water
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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